400 Scripts sit on the floor between me and my new desk. I guess no one really thought about the mass of undiscovered young playwrights panting for a chance to have their plays produced. I guess no one really thought about where these plays would live as they continue their life's journey from computer screen to printer to mail bin to The Public Theater to await being entered into the company log and then to finally sit in the lap of an esteemed reader of plays. Apparently those thoughts, or lack of thoughts, directed these wayward scripts toward my desk, and to save myself from sounding too self-involved, toward the desks of the entire literary staff as well. So, 4 desks rest idly across the room, separated by a mass of young creative energy, from 4 humble employees who just want to sip their coffee, sit in their chair and read these scripts.
The Public must be doing something right, and Time Warner has certainly invested in a worthwhile artistic pursuit. The Emerging Writer's Group - to be home for 12 playwrights who have never had a professional production in New York - will indeed 'emerge' from a pile of 400 scripts on the floor of our offices. Thrilling!
New beginnings. New obstacles. New triumphs. How's that for some drama?
Today, Sept. 5, 2007, was my first day as the, awkwardly titled, Artistic Leadership Associate (ALA) at The Public Theater in New York.
About Me
- JustAnotherDramaQueen
- Brooklyn, NY, United States
- Niegel Smith is a founding member of 425D, a director’s lab. His New York directing credits include SEED (Classical Theatre of Harlem and Hip Hop Theater Festival), Neighbors (Public Theater), Ether Steeds (Fringe Award for Best Ensemble), We Declare You a Terrorist (SPF), Metro Psalm, Rainy Days & Mondays (Fringe Award—Fringe Encores), Maud–The Madness (Phoenix Ensemble Theatre), One For The Road and LIMBS: A Pageant (HERE). He is Associate Director to Bill T. Jones on the musical FELA! and has assisted directors Jo Bonney, James Lapine, Kristin Marting, Richard Nelson and George C. Wolfe. As Co-Artistic Director of PERMISO with Todd Shalom, he has co-conceived and staged mass rituals in public settings. Smith, a graduate of Dartmouth College, has received grants and fellowships from Theater Communications Group, the Van Lier Fund, and the Tucker Foundation. Before attending high school in Detroit, he grew up in the North Carolina piedmont, fishing with his dad, shopping with his mom and inventing tall-tale fantasies with his two younger brothers.
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